July 15, 2022
Don’t step on a Bee! Sounds like sane advice, but did you know it’s also a day of recognizing the incredible impact that bees play on our ecosystem? There are roughly 4,000 bee species in North America and about 20,000 around the globe that pollinate everything from flowers to vegetables. In fact, bees pollinate approximately one in every three bites of food you eat, which makes them essential to the health and prosperity of countless ecosystems worldwide. Crops such as apples, cranberries, and broccoli all rely on bees. Fruits like blueberries and cherries are 90% dependent on honeybee pollination, as are almonds. To pollinate the roughly 1.2 million acres of almond trees, the California almond industry needs about 1.8 million bees.
However, one in four species of bees are facing extinction. From fungus to pesticides, bees are facing rapidly declining numbers. In the US, the honeybee population has declined 60% since 1947.
This year, Vitalia Senior Residences at Strongsville is celebrating “Don’t Step On A Bee Day” by utilizing locally sourced melters honey, orange blossom honey and bee pollen in our sweet tea & honey-brined chicken, honey-glazed cornbread, and honey-glazed carrots on July 10th.
Melters honey is a byproduct of melting and refining the beeswax. It has been through the wax melter, hence the name. So, this honey has been heated for an extended period. That is why it is very dark and low in moisture. It resembles caramel and toffee, with a slight burnt after-taste. I acquired all the honey produce I will be using from Gardeners Bees.
I’ve long held a passion for bees, a passion I continue to enjoy in my free time. I could not imagine what the world would be like without the help of these tiniest of pollinators. I’m in the process of setting up Carniolan honeybee hives around my new home.
By recognizing this holiday, we hope to bring awareness to this global issue and try to start a conversation about what we can all do to help reverse this trend and help build the bee population back to its pre-WWII levels. And while you’re at it, don’t step on a bee. We need them here.
VITALIA® Strongsville in Strongsville, OH offers independent senior apartments, assisted living, and memory care with a variety of services and a range of floor plan options. Amenities include restaurant dining, 24-hour bistro, concierge service, housekeeping, events and entertainment, personal care, transportation services, and more. Centrally located near Southwest General Hospital with convenient access to major shopping centers and attractions, including Mallard Creek, Southpark Mall, Strongsville Historical Society, The Greens of Strongsville Shopping , and Don’s Pomeroy House.
